A number of staff at Alouette Elementary have been diagnosed with cancer over the past couple of years and there are concerns it is due to carcinogens in their work environment.
The school district would not give any specific numbers as to how many staff have been diagnosed at the school, saying it would identify the individuals who have been impacted, but that it involves a number of staff who have received a breast cancer diagnosis over the past two years.
Most recently a staff member received a diagnosis in November last year.
“All Alouette staff were aware of the steps the school district was taking throughout the process,” said spokesperson for the Maple Ridge Pitt Meadows School District, Irena Pochop, adding that a letter was shared with families of students last week.
“We’re not going to be able to speak to anything that would identify the staff who have been impacted by the diagnosis because we want to protect their privacy,” said Pochop.
The letter was sent out by superintendent of schools, Harry Dhillon, on Friday, Jan. 20. In it Dhillon noted that the school district had reached out to WorkSafe BC, the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC), and the medical health officer for guidance in November. In addition the district also began to proactively conduct environmental testing.
Dhillon said the school has been assessed for asbestos, mould, air quality, water quality, and all custodial supplies used at the school were reviewed. The school district contracted an occupational health and safety consulting company to review the school’s inventory of friable asbestos, which could be released into the air, in the building. Paint samples were collected from the classrooms, a full chemistry test of the water quality was conducted, and another company tested the school for mould. In addition to reviewing the custodial supplies, an inventory of products used for pest control was also taken.
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Dhillon noted that although they are still awaiting the results of air quality testing, all other results did not identify any possible sources that could cause breast cancer.
The results were shared with the BCCDC, WorkSafe BC and the medical health officer, who confirmed the testing and who advised that the next step is for BC Cancer Agency to complete an assessment, advised Dhillon.
A spokesperson for WorkSafeBC confirmed the agency is not conducting an investigation into the cancer cases at Alouette Elementary, but they recently provided consultative support to an investigation being conducted by the employer.
“We don’t have any other information to share at the moment,” said WorkSafeBC spokesperson Yesenia Dhott.
Students and staff still occupy the wing of the school while testing is being completed, said Pochop.
“This has not been assessed a cancer cluster. That is an assessment BC Cancer will need to make,” she noted.
According to the Canadian Cancer Society a cancer cluster is described as a greater than expected number of cancer cases within a group of people in a geographic area over a period of time.
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Dhillon iterated the health and safety of students and staff is always their top priority and the district is committed to following any and all direction they receive from public health experts.
He asked parents who want to talk to their children about the issue to reach out to the school’s counsellor.
For general questions about a child’s health he advised parents to contact their family physician or other health-care professional, call 811, or visit HealthLinkBC.
Any updates, added Dhillon, will be communicated to staff and families directly.
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